Afternoons ROCK Program

Youth First of Washington County will be offering a free afterschool program to grades 4th – 8th to Washington County Schools. Afternoons ROCK is an afterschool program that runs for 6 weeks at a time. ROCKs is typically held on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of each week with a few exceptions. Through Afternoons ROCK, youth will have a safe, positive and fun environment to gather from 3pm to 5:30pm.

Beth Armstrong, Youth Development Coordinator for Youth First of Washington County will be serving as the program supervisor. Parents and students alike often ask Beth what a typical day at the ROCK program is like. Armstrong described it as follows, “Students will begin each day with 45 minutes of free time for homework, refreshments and recreation. After students have had some time to unwind we will spend 45 minutes taking part in group activities which focus on a variety of topics such as decision making, avoiding peer pressures and team building. The last 45 minutes of each day will be something different. We may have guest speakers, demonstrations, community service projects or possibly take part in more group activities.”

Here are a few of the activities students will take part in at ROCKs: bridge building, blindfolded obstacle course, career exploration and make your own video. In addition to fun activities and daily snacks, students with good attendance (17 of the 18 days) will receive a CD player, MP3 player or ITUNES gift card as a graduation gift.

For many families in Washington County, both parents work till 5pm and then have a commute from work back to home which means they may not make it back to town until 6pm or later. Youth First’s goal is to provide a safe and fun environment afterschool where kids can get homework completed, enjoy a snack and build friendships while building life skills. If you are interested in enrolling your child in the program or would like to see a schedule, contact Beth Armstrong at 883-5565.